Picnic on a summer's day

Over the last two weeks or so I have been suffering (and I mean suffering) with horrific hayfever and blocked sinuses.  Having lived all my life in London and having enjoyed a few fags in my time, I pride myself on having a respiratory system that can cope with the odd fume and foreign object.  However, my body has been taken completely by surprise by the (abundant) tree pollen in Boston and has begun producing industrial quantities of snot, a sore nose and painful, blocked sinuses. 

Therefore, a trip to the Arnold Arboretum yesterday should have resulted in death by hayfever.  However, the magnificent Dr Rick gave me some very noisy adjustments in the morning (who knew my back, ribs and neck could make so much noise?) and promised that I would begin to feel better.  I felt lightheaded at first, that's for sure, but I do believe it did help me as I was able to spend the afternoon surrounded by trees and plants and only need to blow my nose a couple of times. 

The Arboretum is by the Jamaica Plain area of Boston, which seems from my brief trip a very nice area to live indeed.  I guess the Arboretum would be the Boston equivalent of Kew Gardens, but on a smaller scale.  It is a lovely, lovely place to go on a sunny day. 

We went with Katie & Josie and ate a picnic on the grass under a shady tree.  The babies really enjoyed it and it was so sweet to watch them laughing at each other and trying to pull each other's bonnets off.  Zoe was less sweet in the car on the way home and decided to have a complete meltdown, but even that, and the pesky hayfever, could not put a dampner on what was a truly lovely day.

O THE GLAMOUR!

It was a super-glamorous weekend for the Devlin girls of Boston.  On Saturday afternoon I went to see the fabulous hairdresser Francisco, who in the past has wrought so much magic with my High Barnet.  I time-travelled back to the 1950's and had a wash and set, complete with rollers, hairnet and huge hairdryer.  It was tremendous & when I emerged from the salon I reminded myself of a young Victoria Principal c.1986.  To celebrate, I went out for cocktails in the evening with Katie to Alibi at the Liberty Hotel.  Our little girls were safely at home with their Daddies.  Us big girls were busy trying to look 20 years younger, like the jailbait also hanging around the bar of this renovated prison (how apt). 

On Sunday however, Baby Zoe took centre stage.  Realising how quickly her babyhood is passing, we had arranged for a professional photographer to take some shots before she grew up any more!  I found Kristina Young through Isis, where her work hangs on the wall alongside other Boston-based photographers.  These photographers' styles range from the downright cheesy to the outright creepy, but Kristina has a very colourful and natural style that we really liked. 

After starting in our apartment, where the light is apparently fantastic (but the furniture horrific), we then moved to the Public Garden.  The Public Garden is my favourite place to go with Zoe; the flowers are always beautiful, the trees are shady and it is lovely to stand on the wrought iron bridge overlooking the swanboats on the lake.  I thought I would feel self conscious having our pictures taken in public, but in the end Kristina made us feel so relaxed that the time went super-quickly and before we knew it 2 hours had flown by. 

Here is a selection of pictures from the day, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM!  In fact, seeing the beautiful ones of Zoe made me cry a little....  What do you think?  I can't wait to see the full gallery.  Thank you Kristina!

FEED ME!

Yesterday Zoe got her first taste of "solid" food, some completely undelicious rice cereal.  Perhaps the only thing in its favour is that it is organic, but that's pretty much it.  It has the consistency and tastiness of wallpaper paste and, as we discovered, similar adhesive properties.  In the event, Zoe managed to get a couple of spoonfuls down, which we think is quite an achievement.
 

Now we are 6 (months)

Yesterday was Zoe's 6 month birthday.  This weekend we are going to try her with solid food for the first time. I say "solid", but the rice cereal actually has the consistency of a McDonald's milkshake.  And I say "try" because at the first few attempts I anticipate more rice cereal ending up on the floor/me/Eamon/ceiling than in Zoe's mouth and down her throat. 

Last weekend Claire kindly gave us a copy of Annabel Karmel's "New Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner".  Living in northwest London and having worked at SJ Berwin for a number of years, I was aware of Ms Karmel's work and devoted following amongst the yummy mummy set.  It's actually an extremely useful book with lots of information about weaning and what foods to give your baby.  There are also lots of recipes I might try, although I am somewhat hampered by the limited equipment in our corporate-furnished kitchen. In Marriott's opinion we need 2 can openers (one electric, one manual), a corkscrew and a drip coffee machine.  I don't know what this says about the kind of people that generally stay in corporate furnished accommodation, but I am guessing pureeing brussel sprouts isn't high on their list of leisure activities. Therefore I am going to go to Magic Beans today and get a baby food mill. 

My constant consumerism doesn't stop there however.  I was right about our buggy getting knackered on the brick pavements. So, as a 1/2 birthday present for me Zoe, we got a new stroller. It's big and hideous, but it's like driving a Rolls Royce whereas before we were driving a rusty Fiat Panda with a broken axle. 

As you can see Zoe's absolutely delighted with her new mode of transport. 

Blood, snot & teeth

Zoe has struggled with a heavy cold and cough these last few days.  It's been a tough week, what with Zoe's first teeth making an appearance as well.  After a trip to the doctor this morning (where she failed to sneeze, cough or give any indication she was ill at all), she seems a bit more cheerful and I was able to get some pictures of her new teeth.  Her granny, the dentist, is particularly proud.  Time for Zoe's first toothbrush I think!

Now you're in Noooo Yo-oork......

This weekend saw our first out of town trip - to Manhattan to see our wonderful friends Simon and Claire.  We were all baby solicitors together about nine years ago (oh my god I feel so old).  At the time 222 Gray's Inn Road must have been the horniest place in WC2 as we are two of the three couples from that 2001 trainee intake who ended up getting married. 

Simon and Claire moved to New York about 2 years ago and live just a few blocks from Central Park with their lovely doggy Rocky.  We hadn't seen them since they left London, and hadn't visited New York since 2006 when Eamon came to run the marathon for Great Ormond Street Hospital.  On that 2006 trip we had a ball - shopping in all the department stores, drinking cocktails, sightseeing and going for big dinners.  Needless to say this trip was a little different now that Zoe is here.

We took the Acela Express to NY's Penn Station.  How bittersweet to find a train service as expensive and yet as disappointing as First Great Western!  Even the service in the buffet car was surly and inefficient; I felt quite homesick.  Describing a journey of 220 miles that takes 4 hours as "Express" is surely an actionable misrepresentation, but the route takes in some beautiful Connecticut coastal scenery and Zoe was such a good girl, hardly complaining at all and charming everyone in her path. 

Once in New York we had a splendid time catching up with Simon and Claire and getting to know Rocky, who had been to the doggy beauty parlor for a wash, cut 'n' blow dry in honour of our visit.  Zoe in particular found Rocky absolutely hilarious.  Goodness knows what she will make of the cats when we get home.....

We headed to Central Park for a walk and stumbled across this cute gay couple out for a walk with their surrogate baby. 

In the evening, after a mercy dash to Duane Reade for infant Tylenol (trans. Calpol - alas, poor Zoe has a stinking cold), we had a spag bol dinner and chatted until the small hours, leaving me with a frighteningly short period of time to sleep before Zoe woke up at 5.30 am having decided it was time to get the day started.  There was only one thing for it - a Southern-style brunch in Chelsea with a few bloody marys*.  Not only had I never had grits before (and doubt I will again), nor had I had a bloody mary so early in the day.  It made me feel absolutely tremendous I must say, and even Zoe was keen to test its incredible healing powers!

Sadly, it was all too soon time to board the "Express" back to Beantown.  A splendid weekend was had by all, including Zoe and Rocky, and without a department store or open-top bus in sight!

* It was my first Mothers' Day after all

Baby Zoe Update!

Princess Zozo is almost 6 months old now.  WOW. Everyone said that the time would fly but seriously, she's like a little girl now. On Sunday our lovely neighbours Chris & Jessica came for lunch with their 3 week old baby girl Amelia.  I can't even remember Zoe being that small and delicate.  She is a 7.3 kg miniature sumo wrestler now!

Since we have been in Boston Zoe has learnt to hold things properly, use both her hands in a coordinated way, sit up (supported), play with her feet (& put her feet in her mouth!), recognise her name, started to really enjoy looking at books, she loves to gabble and goo, has developed a sense of humour and a wonderful giggle, has got 100x more confident on her tummy, can flip herself over and has started to get a kick out of being with other babies and children. 

Most excitingly, yesterday she cut her first tooth and the second has just popped out!  We were very excited and I was also a little sad too, because it means she isn't a little baby any more.  What made me even more unhappy was how miserable it made her (last night is a blur of Tylenol and vomit).  In a couple of weeks she will start to try new foods (and maybe go into the horrible high chair Marriot left for us in the apartment). 

Yesterday was also another little milestone as it was our last Isis "Next Steps" class.  Going to this group has been as important for me as for Zoe. We were so lucky to find ourselves together with some really terrific new moms and their beautiful babies.  I have made some new friends, who have been very kind and welcoming to me, and Zoe has started to learn that it's much more fun to play with other babies around. 

Clockwise from Zoe:  Samantha, Josie, Noah & Ethan

The playtimes at the beginning of class were great and taught me things I can do with Zoe at home (although sadly parachute play would require at least 3 people so we can't do that).  The discussions in the second half of class were also really helpful and covered topics including weaning, baby-proofing, returning to work and developmental milestones.  Any questions we had, we could ask our teacher Teresa (surely the world's most patient woman).  What was even better were the get-togethers outside of class in various corners of the Prudential Center. And guess what? mother-in-laws cropped up quite often in conversations..... 

Needless to say we've all pretty much joined up for the next group together, starting in June.  Zoe and I can't wait!